Wii U Provides the Power for NES Remix that 3DS Could Not

Considering the fact that 3DS is home to a number of NES titles available for download via the eShop, one might not think that the handheld, for all of its power, would be incapable of handling a series of remixed NES games. As it turns out, the limitations of the 3DS proved Wii U to be the better home for both NES Remix titles.

In an interview with IGN, NES Remix director Koichi Hayashida revealed that after he had completed his work on Super Mario 3D World for Wii U, the familiarity of the console’s architecture made it his preferred choice for his next project. He then went on to explain that system power was a huge factor in determining which of Nintendo’s consoles the NES Remix games would find their way to:

“I think the Wii U offered that up for us pretty easily, and it just would have been more difficult to do it for the 3DS. I think that’s really the answer. It’s just that the Wii U had the machine power we were looking for in order for us to build the software we envisioned from the get go.”

For many critics that have cited Wii U as being less powerful and incapable of competing with Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the fact that the NES Remix games required more power than the 3DS was able to provide may provide a tiny bit more fuel in Nintendo’s favor, who have long been fighting to combat the stigma of being underpowered.